HC Deb 26 January 1998 vol 305 cc112-3W
Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will recalculate the table on page 6 of Welfare Reform Focus File 1 on the basis of income distribution before housing costs. [24681]

Mr. Field

The information is set out in the table.

The proportion of benefit spending by 20 per cent. bands of the income distribution before housing costs
Percentage
Quintile 1979 1994–95
Poorest 42 28
2 24 32
3 15 19
4 11 12
Richest 9 8

Note:

1. Figures do not sum exactly due to rounding.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will estimate on the basis of the information used on page 6 of Welfare Reform Focus File 6 the percentage of employees earning above the lower earnings limit who are contributing to an occupational pension by(a) gender, (b) region (c) broad socio-economic group and (d) broad heading of industrial classification. [24682]

Mr. Denham

The information on gender and broad heading of industrial classification for employees earning above the lower earnings limit can be found in tables 2.1 and 2.2 of "Occupational Pensions Schemes 1991—the Ninth Survey by the Government Actuary", a copy of which is in the Library. The information requested on region is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Retirement pension Other State pensions
Deciles of pensioner units Mean gross income (£) Mean net income (£) Mean (£) Per cent. mean gross income Mean (£) Per cent. mean gross income
Bottom decile 69.90 63.10 56.50 81 0.60 1
Decile 2 92.40 84.70 64.00 69 1.40 2
Decile 3 107.40 98.70 63.20 59 2.20 2
Decile 4 118.90 108.40 68.10 57 0.90 1
Decile 5 134.20 121.80 75.20 56 0.60 negligible
Decile 6 154.30 140.60 83.00 54 2.90 2
Decile 7 179.40 163.60 81.90 46 4.30 2
Decile 8 218.40 195.00 87.40 40 6.70 3
Decile 9 290.30 252.30 89.70 31 7.00 2
Top decile 602.50 473.90 94.50 16 2.80 negligible

Notes:

1. The estimates refer to all pension units. A pension unit is defined to be either a single (non-cohabiting) person over State Pension Age, or couples (married or cohabiting) where the man, defined as the head, is over State Pension Age.

2. All figures are in July 1995 prices and rounded to the nearest 10 pence.

3. The deciles are calculated on the basis of unequivalised net income before housing costs.

4. Retirement Pension includes basic Retirement Pension, State Earnings Related Pension, Graduated Retirement Benefit, and any increments thereof.

5. Other State Pensions includes Widow's Benefit and Incapacity Benefit.

Source:

The Pensioners' Incomes Series 1995–96, which is based mainly on Family Expenditure Survey data.